CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

TEATRO ALLA SCALA ACADEMY OF LYRIC OPERA 2019/21

TEATRO ALLA SCALA ACADEMY OF LYRIC OPERA 1 INTRODUCTION INSTRUCTORS

ounded by Riccardo Muti in 1997 under the ar- brecht. In 2018 Alí Babà e i quaranta ladroni of tistic direction of Leyla Gencer, the Academy Cherubini, directed by Liliana Cavani and con- Fof Lyric Opera collects the legacy of the “Ca- ducted by Paolo Carignani. Finally, in the 2014/15 detti della Scala” school, commissioned by Arturo season the Teatro alla Scala inaugurated with Toscanini in 1950 to guarantee the transmission of Cinderella for children (conducted by Maxime Italian lyric tradition. In the time frame of two years, Pascal and directed by Ulrich Peter) taken from the Academy prepares young singers with a sound Rossini’s work, “Grandi Spettacoli per Piccoli”, a vocal and musical training for their professional project aiming to bring the youngest audience at careers, mastering their technical and interpreta- the opera through the staging of well-known tit- tive skills. The educational path includes lessons les of the repertoire, entrusted to the orchestra on interpretation of the operatic and chamber re- and the voices of the soloists of the Academy, in pertoire, vocal technique, study of the score, tech- revised versions designed for school-aged chil- niques of body expression, scenic movement and dren. In the 2015/16 season Die Zauberflöte di- Italian language for foreigners. The daily study is rected by Min Chung and Paolo Spadaro, staged constantly enriched with the participation of the by Ulrich Peter, in 2016/17 Il ratto dal serraglio si- students in the productions staged at the Teatro gned by Johannes Schmid conducted by Miche- alla Scala, alongside renowned performers, con- le Gamba and in the 2017/2018 season Il barbiere ductors and directors. This is accompanied by an di Siviglia and L’elisir d’amore, both conducted by intense concert activity and participation in opera Pietro Mianiti and staged by Grischa Asagaroff. Luciana D’Intino productions, in Italy and abroad. diretti da Pietro Mianiti in allestimenti firmati da Director of Studies oreover, since the first edition, the “Accade- Grischa Asagaroff. Renato Bruson mia Project” has played a particular impor- Mtance, a title included in the Scala season, Eva Mei entirely entrusted to the students (to quote some of the works set up in recent years: Così fan tutte, Gregory Kunde Le nozze di Figaro, Le convenienze ed inconvenien- Umberto Finazzi ze teatrali, L’occasione fa il ladro , L’Italiana in Alge- ri, Don Pasquale, La scala di seta, Il barbiere di Sivi- Vincenzo Scalera glia). Since 2016, the Teatro alla Scala has strongly encouraged this initiative, calling each year an au- James Vaughan thoritative conductor and a great director to cre- Michele D’Elia ate a new production, with the aim of promoting high-level professional experiences. The staging Marina Bianchi of Die Zauberflöte by Mozart, under the direction of Peter Stein conducted by Ádám Fischer, was Marco Gandini the first step in this direction. In 2017 Hänsel und Gretel from Humperdinck was directed by Sven-E- ric Bechtolf and the musical direction of Marc Al- 2 TEATRO ALLA SCALA ACADEMY OF LYRIC OPERA 3 SUBJECTS

Interpretation of opera and chamber repertory

Vocal score coaching

Vocal technique

Stage Presence and Body Language Techniques for the Stage

Physical expression on stage

Italian for foreigners

PROGRAM STRUCTURE

TIMING

From October 1, 2019 to September 30, 2021, with a summer break in 2020.

The Academy Director – in agreement with the Artistic Director of Teatro alla Scala – may invite eligible can- didates to begin the program as much as six months earlier than the above opening date. Selected candida- tes will only be admitted after accepting and signing the Academy Regulations when the course begins. The course begins with a trial period ending on January 31, 2020. At the end of the trial period, the Office of the If authorized by the Artistic Director of Teatro alla Scala, students may observe rehearsals, on stage or in the rehearsal room, of operas on the Teatro alla Scala program, and take part in encounters with the Theatre’s guest orchestra conductors, stage direc- Director will make the final determination as to which candidates will effectively be admitted to the Academy. tors, and singers. An examination will be held at the end of the first year of the course. Based on their performance on this exa- The Teatro alla Scala Artistic Director will also assess the option of offering performer or stand-in contracts to students for the mination, students may be excluded from further study at the Academy. 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 seasons. At the end of the two-year course, the Office of the Director will assess each single student to determine Concerts with orchestra or piano accompaniment, music festivals in the Ridotto dei Palchi, and tours in Italy and abroad are plan- ned during the period of the course. Additionally, students will be engaged in an opera production staged as part of the regular whether he or she may be offered an optional third year of specialization, integrated into the production pro- 2020 and 2021 La Scala season programs. gram of the Theatre and the Academy.

4 TEATRO ALLA SCALA ACADEMY OF LYRIC OPERA 5 COORDINATES

WHERE

The program primarily takes place in the following locations: Accademia Teatro alla Scala Via Santa Marta 18 - 20123 Milano

Teatro alla Scala Via Filodrammatici 2 - 20121 Milano (and rehearsal rooms outside the theater) Sala Prove Visconti Via Stendhal 28 - 20144 Milano Sala Prove Abanella Via Bottelli 11 - 20125 Milano

REQUISITES

In order to be eligible, candidates ATTENDANCE must: have been born on or after January 1, 1989. Minors are not eligible to take part in the program. he course is full time, tuition is free and attendance is mandatory: it is thus incompatible with other academic or professional commitments. have earned a diploma in voice from a sta- TAny student missing 25% or more of lessons shall be removed from the te musical conservatory or musical institu- course. te having equal status. If the candidate has rather studied at a private school of music or with a private teacher, the director of the school or the private teacher must is- depending on the artistic quality of the program in question and on the course sue a statement, under their own responsi- schedule of the Academy. Such leave may be granted for a maximum of 30 days bility, attesting to the pupil’s abilities. per year and may be divided into a maximum of 3 periods. Artistic leave is not to be construed as a right of any student, but a privilege that may be granted as an exception and on a case-by-case basis at the sole and uncontestable discre-

6 TEATRO ALLA SCALA ACADEMY OF LYRIC OPERA 7 INCENTIVES APPLICATION PROCEDURE

A monthly scholarship of € 900 (nine hundred/00 euros) gross is provided to each applicant admitted to the Academy. From FRIDAY, AUGUST 31 UNTIL TUESDAY 6TH OF NOVEMBER, 2018. The scholarship will be provided based on actual attendance and for the effective months of the course. The application may only be submitted by means of the special online form on www.yaptracker.com (https://bit.ly/2LehBEV). The website requires registration, which The scholarship is made possible thanks to grants from is free (visit https://bit.ly/2uFWReU). Fondazione Milano per la Scala, Liliana Gallo Montarsolo in memory of Paolo Montarsolo, and the Italian Ministry of Fo- reign Affairs and International Cooperation. As part of its initiatives aimed at favoring cultural exchange, internationa- The following documentation must be submitted along with your application: lization, and the promotion of Italian culture and advanced Scanned image of candidate’s identity document (identity card or passport)

for foreign students. Two videos, each one showing the candidate singing a different opera aria (not from operetta nor from an oratorio) by a different composer. At least one of them must be sung in Italian. The videos must not be professionally shot: amateur, unedited videos are explicitly requested. The videos should have good sound quality and provide a clear view of the candidate. After examining the materials received, the Examining Committee will promptly notify the chosen candidates and invite them formally to the auditions in Milan;

A detailed, signed CV with the following statements (in Italian) appended at the end: 1. Il/la sottoscritto/a consapevole delle sanzioni penali previste dall’art. 76 D.P.R. 28/12/2000 n. 445 per il caso di dichiarazioni mendaci e falsità in atti, dichiara ai sensi degli art. 46 e 47 D.P.R. 445/2000 che quanto contenuto nel presente curriculum corrisponde a verità [The undersigned, aware of the criminal penalties pursuant to Article 76 of Italian Presidential Decree no. 445 of 28 December 2000 (D.P.R. 445/2000) for false statements, declares, pursuant to Articles 46 and 47 of said D.P.R. 445/2000, that the information contained in this CV is true];

2. Pursuant to Legislative Decree 196/200 (Privacy Code) and Regulation () 679/2016, I authorize the processing of my personal data for the purpose of using my curriculum vitae;

The following optional documents may also be submitted with the application:

ADMISSION OF NON-EUROPEANS competitions

If chosen during the selection process, candidates not re- siding in one of the European Union member states must - submit, on or before the date that lessons begin, the do- dates making false statements will be excluded or expelled from the Academy and be liable to prosecution by law. cumentation required by European law and by the Italian Candidates residing outside of Italy must submit all required documentation both in original form and translated into Italian or Public Security Authorities (application for permit of stay English. The online payment of €85.00 will be required to complete the application process. The application fee is non-refundable. [permesso di soggiorno] for purposes of study) for people from their country of citizenship.

8 TEATRO ALLA SCALA ACADEMY OF LYRIC OPERA 9

ADMISSION

During the pre-selection process, the Examining Committee will judge candidates based on the videos submitted with their application (see Page 9). The selected candidates will then be invited to Milan to take part in the auditions. Upon arriving for the auditions, candidates must present a total of 8 pieces:

6 opera arias, four in Italian and two in another language. These must include the two arias recorded in the videos at Page 9. Arias from operettas or from oratorios will not be accepted

2 pieces from the chamber music and/or sacred music repertoire. All pieces must be sung in their original language.

Before being admitted to the program, candidates must pass the three-part audition process, which is structured as follows:

Elimination round: the candidate must perform two opera pieces by heart, one of which will be chosen by the Examining Committee on the basis of the program presented by the candidate while the other may be freely chosen by the candidate. The Committee reserves the right to limit the audition to a single piece.

Semifinal round: the candidate must perform by heart a piece of chamber music or sacred music and an opera piece, both of which shall be chosen by the Examining Committee. The candidate who will successfully pass such round will also be asked to sight-read a score of medium difficulty, to demonstrate his/her stage abilities and to take part in a motivational interview. FINAL CERTIFICATION Final round: the candidate shall perform two opera pieces selected by the Examining Committee. The Examining Committee may opt to hear the required pieces in their entirety or only partially and may limit the audition to only a part of the envisaged program. pon completing the course with a positive assessment by the Office of the Director in terms of overall performance and achievement of specific At the time of the audition, the candidate shall submit the scores for the chosen pieces, which Uobjectives set forth, each student will receive a diploma from the Acca- shall be played on the piano as accompaniment by a musician associated with the Teatro alla Scala demia Teatro alla Scala. Academy. Candidates are forbidden from bringing their own accompanists. The auditions will take place in Milan between December 10 and 20, 2018; the exact dates will be At the conclusion of the two-year period (or three-year period for those admit- communicated in an official convocation from the Academy. ted to a third year), Teatro alla Scala and Accademia Teatro alla Scala may exer- Candidates will not be admitted to the auditions unless they have accepted all conditions and pro- cise the right of preemption regarding the participation of (former) students visions contained in this call for applications. in operas on the following year’s La Scala opera program.

10 TEATRO ALLA SCALA ACADEMY OF LYRIC OPERA 11 MEET THE STAFF

t is possible to participate in the course presentations by registering on the Iwebsite:bit.do/OpenDayATS. The calendar is frequently updated. Informations about the course:

Paola Cavani, Didactic Coordinator [email protected] Ilaria Pachera, Tutor

Informations on application procedures, reimbursements,subsidies and bene- fits:

Segreteria Didattica - tel. +39 02 85451160 / 22 – fax +39 02 86460020 Working hours opened to the public in the headquarters, Via Santa Marta 18 - Milano: From Monday to Friday at 09.00 – 13.00 / 14.00 – 16.30 [email protected] – www.accademialascala.it 12